Pogacar did not want to win, but giving the victory to Vingegaard was too much for UAE: "5 stage wins is more than enough"

It's certainly no longer a surprise: Tadej Pogacar was the best for the fifth time this Tour de France. Initially, that wasn't the plan. The Slovenian yellow jersey wearer initially set out to have a relaxed day during the final mountain stage, but Soudal-Quick Step and Jonas Vingegaard eventually put him in a perfect position to contend for the stage win.

Initially, the Slovenian just wanted to enjoy the ride today. Despite having to do more work than he thought, he succeeded. "I enjoyed it. It didn't go according to plan, but I am very happy with another win," Pogacar said in the flash interview. He is glad that the end is near. "Just one more day, just the time trial. I will try to enjoy it as much as I can tomorrow and hope to celebrate this Tour with my teammates. It was amazing, out of this world."

Due to the fight for the day's breakaway, Pogacar ended up in an elite group without intending to. "I was very surprised at how the race exploded on the Col de Braus, one of my favorite climbs in this area. We did great, all coming down together. Soler eventually broke away, which was good for us as we could take it easy. I actually wanted to make it a group ride up to the last climb. However, Soudal-Quick-Step wanted to put Jonas under pressure and win the stage, which eventually worked out well for me."

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Tadej Pogacar

Pogi praises Vingegaard's grit: "A real fighter"

Five wins in mountain stages in one Tour: only Gino Bartali has managed it in the past. "If you had told me this before the Tour, I would never have believed you. It's too bizarre for words. I hope to enjoy today and tomorrow with my teammates." After an attack by Remco Evenepoel, Vingegaard showed he still had good legs. Pogi had kind words for his rival. "He had a few tough days, but today he showed he is a real fighter. He gave everything and raced very strongly." Vingegaard tried in vain to take his second stage win. For Visma | Lease a Bike, it was the second consecutive day without stage success, despite clever plans.

Is Pogacar secretly thinking about a sixth stage win in Sunday's time trial? "Five is more than enough. One was enough, the yellow jersey itself is of course enough. It is what it is. I don't know if I will have good legs tomorrow, the most important thing is that I arrive safely in Nice after this tough time trial," said Pogacar. The Tour de France concludes with a hilly time trial of 33.7 kilometers from Monaco to Nice.

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Almeida and Yates on Pogacar's unintended win: "Why not?"

João Almeida saw his team leader win again, but the Portuguese confirmed that initially, it wasn't the plan. "We really didn't want to go for the stage win, but Soudal-Quick Step set the pace." Almeida not only had to help his team leader but also fought his own battle with rival Mikel Landa for fourth place in the GC. "It was close on the final climb, so I rode a good pace, also to take some time on Landa for tomorrow. We ended up bringing back the breakaway, and then Tadej wins. We didn't want that, but when it's so close, why not? It was an opportunity and you always have to seize it. I'm pleased that I'm fourth, that was also important for us. Let's finish it on Sunday," Almeida concluded on Eurosport.

Adam Yates was not entirely happy that Soudal-Quick Step pushed the pace so hard at the front. "We were happy with the breakaway today, with Marc Soler in there too. We wanted to give him a chance after three weeks of hard work, but Quick Step brought everything back together. Tadej then did what he does best." With the time trial in mind, UAE wanted to take it easy, but that didn't happen. "Normally we would also have a drink tonight, but it's full throttle in the time trial tomorrow, so we wanted to ease off for that. Quick Step has done well after three tough weeks, they should be proud as a team."

Yates himself is in sixth place in the general classification and defends a lead of just one second over Carlos Rodriguez. Although he still has to fight for his own classification, he recognizes that team leader Pogacar has the prize well and truly secured. "Five minutes should be enough in the time trial. If Tadej encounters no setbacks and can come to the Tour in top form, you see what he can do."